In the heart of Taipei lies 228 Peace Park, a green space that holds a unique and powerful dual identity. It is both a solemn memorial to Taiwan’s turbulent history and a landmark in the story of the city’s LGBTQ community. For generations of gay men, the park was more than just trees and pathways—it was a meeting point, a sanctuary, and, at times, the only place where they could connect openly. Today, the park stands as a symbol of remembrance, resilience, and progress.
For Adventure Proud travellers on the Temples & Tea: Discovering the Heart of Taiwan tour, a visit here offers the chance to walk through layers of history—national, cultural, and queer—woven together in one powerful setting.
A Park of Many Names and Memories
Taipei’s 228 Peace Park began life during the Japanese colonial period as a modern European-style urban park. It was one of the first of its kind in the city and quickly became a favourite spot for relaxation, cultural events, and leisure. After the Second World War, the Kuomintang government renamed it Taipei New Park.
The park’s most significant historical role came during the February 28 Incident in 1947. Protesters seized the park’s radio station to broadcast demands for reform, and the violent government crackdown that followed marked the beginning of decades of authoritarian rule in Taiwan. To honour the thousands of victims, the park was renamed 228 Peace Park in the 1990s, with a central monument and memorial museum established to preserve history.
A Secret Sanctuary for Gay Men
Beyond politics and history, the park became something else in the decades that followed—a social hub for Taipei’s gay community.
At a time when homosexuality was taboo and queer identity was forced into silence, the park offered a discreet meeting place. Men gathered there regularly, to the point that it earned the nickname “the company,” as if visiting was part of a daily routine. In an era before smartphones, chat apps, or even widespread awareness of LGBTQ rights, the park was one of the only spaces where men could connect, find solidarity, and quietly live their truths.
This wasn’t just about casual encounters; for many it was the first place they could see others like themselves and feel less alone. In the shadows of banyan trees, friendships formed, relationships began, and personal identities were slowly pieced together.
Crystal Boys and the Literature of Belonging
The park’s role in queer life was immortalised in the classic Taiwanese novel Crystal Boys by Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai. Published in the early 1980s, the book depicts the lives of young gay men in Taipei, many of whom gather in the park as they navigate rejection, desire, and belonging.
For many readers, it was the first time the struggles and resilience of gay men in Taiwan had been written into mainstream literature. Today, Crystal Boys is regarded as a landmark work, often compared to queer classics elsewhere in the world. The story cemented the park’s place in LGBTQ history—not just as a physical space, but as a cultural symbol.
Transformation into a Rainbow Landscape
As Taiwan moved towards democracy and greater social openness, 228 Peace Park’s LGBTQ significance began to be recognised publicly.
In 2016, the park was formally designated as a Rainbow Landscape to promote gender equality and celebrate diversity. Its grey iron gate was repainted in the six colours of the rainbow flag, making its queer history visible to all who enter. This transformation was the result of collaboration between local government agencies and LGBTQ advocacy organisations, including the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association and the Companion Rights Promotion Alliance.
The rainbow gate now serves as both a celebration of progress and a reminder of the struggles faced by earlier generations who had to gather in secrecy. It is one of Taipei’s most photographed LGBTQ landmarks, proudly standing in the city centre.
Why the Park Matters Today
For travellers exploring Taipei, 228 Peace Park offers a rare opportunity to stand at the intersection of political and queer history. It is a place that represents:
- Memory and justice – honouring the victims of the February 28 Incident.
- Queer resilience – recognising the park’s role as an underground gathering place.
- Cultural significance – immortalised through literature and art.
- Progress and pride – celebrated with its Rainbow Landscape designation.
For Taiwan’s LGBTQ community, the park is part of a broader story that culminated in Taiwan becoming the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019. The struggles, silences, and quiet solidarity of earlier decades laid the foundation for today’s celebrations of equality and visibility.
Adventure Proud at 228 Peace Park
Adventure Proud’s Temples & Tea: Discovering the Heart of Taiwan tour includes a visit to 228 Peace Park, ensuring that travellers don’t just see a green space, but also understand its deeper resonance.
Standing by the rainbow gate, visitors reflect on how far the queer community in Taiwan has come. Walking the shaded paths, it’s easy to imagine the quiet courage of men who once gathered here in search of belonging. Visiting the memorial museum, travellers also engage with Taiwan’s national story of resilience and democratic reform.
For Adventure Proud, this stop is about connecting the dots—between history and present, between culture and community, between Taiwan’s path to democracy and the LGBTQ community’s journey to recognition.
Experiencing the Park
When visiting 228 Peace Park, here are highlights not to miss:
- The Rainbow Gate – repainted in six colours, it is the most visible symbol of the park’s LGBTQ story.
- 228 Memorial Monument – designed as a white, geometric tower rising from a pond, it is the central site of remembrance.
- 228 Memorial Museum – housed in the former radio station, the museum provides context about the February 28 Incident and Taiwan’s political transformation.
- Crystal Boys Connection – literary fans can imagine scenes from Kenneth Pai’s novel unfolding in the park’s shaded corners.
- Everyday Life – beyond history, the park is still a place of leisure, where locals practise tai chi, play chess, and enjoy a break from Taipei’s bustle.
From Silence to Celebration
The story of 228 Peace Park mirrors the journey of Taiwan’s LGBTQ community itself. From invisibility and marginalisation, to cautious gathering, to cultural recognition, and finally to public celebration—it is a story of moving from silence into the light.
Today, Taipei is known for its vibrant Pride celebrations, welcoming queer nightlife, and progressive rights. Yet places like 228 Peace Park remind us that this progress was built on the hidden struggles and small acts of bravery in earlier decades.
For LGBTQ travellers, standing in this park is a chance to honour that history, connect with it personally, and carry it forward. For all travellers, it is an opportunity to understand how public spaces can carry deep, intertwined meanings of trauma, culture, and identity.
228 Peace Park is more than a park. It is a national memorial, a queer landmark, a literary setting, and a rainbow-coloured symbol of progress. For the gay community of Taipei, it was once a lifeline, a gathering place where identities could be quietly explored and bonds formed. For Taiwan as a nation, it is a reminder of past struggles and the resilience that paved the way to democracy.
When Adventure Proud travellers visit 228 Peace Park on our Temples & Tea: Discovering the Heart of Taiwan tour, they are stepping into this layered history—reflecting not only on Taiwan’s journey but also on the universal human search for belonging, dignity, and pride.